CVE-2004-0407 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
The HTML form upload capability in ColdFusion MX 6.1 does not reclaim disk space if an upload is interrupted, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (disk consumption) by repeatedly uploading files and interrupting the uploads before they finish.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0407 represents a significant denial of service weakness within Adobe ColdFusion MX 6.1's file upload functionality. This flaw specifically affects the HTML form upload capability that processes file uploads through web forms, creating a persistent resource exhaustion condition that can be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt service availability.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability stems from improper memory management during file upload operations. When ColdFusion MX 6.1 processes an HTML form upload, it allocates temporary disk space to store the incoming file data. However, the system fails to properly reclaim this allocated disk space when an upload operation is interrupted before completion. This interruption can occur through various means such as network disconnections, client-side timeouts, or manual termination of the upload process by an attacker. The temporary files remain in a partially written state, consuming valuable disk storage resources without being properly cleaned up.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a straightforward path for remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against ColdFusion servers. Attackers can repeatedly initiate file uploads to the server and then abruptly terminate these connections before the uploads complete. Each interrupted upload leaves behind a temporary file that occupies disk space, and since the system does not automatically clean up these incomplete uploads, the disk space consumption continues to grow until the storage capacity is exhausted. This process can be automated and scaled, allowing attackers to quickly consume available disk space and render the server unable to process legitimate requests or store new data.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple disk space exhaustion, as it can severely compromise the availability and reliability of ColdFusion applications. When disk space becomes exhausted, the server may become unresponsive to legitimate file upload requests, cause application errors, or even crash entirely. This disruption affects not only the immediate file upload functionality but can also impact other server operations that depend on available disk space for temporary processing and caching operations.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which describes "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" in software systems, specifically highlighting the improper handling of resource cleanup during interrupted operations. The attack pattern follows the methodology outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique T1499.004 for "Endpoint Denial of Service" where attackers target resource consumption to make systems unavailable. The vulnerability also reflects poor input validation and resource management practices that are commonly addressed in secure coding guidelines and defensive programming principles.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve both immediate and long-term approaches. The most effective immediate solution is to upgrade to a patched version of ColdFusion MX 6.1, as Adobe would have addressed the resource cleanup issue in subsequent releases. System administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to track disk space usage and set up automated alerts when storage thresholds are approached. Additionally, implementing upload size limits, connection timeouts, and proper upload interruption handling within the application layer can help reduce the impact of such attacks. Network-level protections such as rate limiting for upload requests and connection pooling configurations can provide additional defense in depth. Regular system maintenance and cleanup routines should be established to ensure temporary files are properly managed and removed from the system, preventing accumulation of incomplete upload data that could lead to similar vulnerabilities.